$1,500.00
This course is part of the following programs:
Master of Arts in Hindu Studies (MA)
● Admission into a qualifying Program of Study YES
● Any prerequisite courses. NONE
● Any prerequisite knowledge or skills (i.e., Sanskrit, reading research): NO
As a result of taking this course, students will be able to:
This course provides an in-depth study of Vedic literature and Vedic ritual. The texts include Saṃhitās which are the collection of mantras and formulae, Brāhmaṇa texts which are commentaries on the Saṃ̣hitās, Āraṇyakas which are the middle portions which join ritual and the philosophical texts, i.e., the Upaniṣads. Since the Upaniṣads are covered in other courses, they will not be discussed here.
The Brāhmaṇas are important texts for sacrificial ritual. These rituals are divided into three categories: śrauta, gṛhya and smārta. For these rites three different fires are necessary: laukika (secular), gṛhyāgni (domestic) and three śrauta (ritual) fires. Sacrifices are of two kinds, Havis sacrifices where grains, milk, ghee, animals etc are offered and Soma sacrifices in which soma is offered. The many variations included in the Soma sacrificial group are Rājasūya, Aśvamedha, Jyotiṣṭoma etc. These rituals are especially important for the Itihāsapurāṇa and Vedānta exegesis of karma and dharma.
Finally, to understand the rites in their proper order, we will look at Sūtra texts such as Śrautasūtras (e.g. Baudhāyana etc.), Gṛhyasūtras (e.g. Āśvalāyana) and Dharmasūtras (e.g. Gautama). Other ancillary texts, the Vedāṅgas, will also be briefly reviewed.
$1,500.00
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